Seeing red is a common idiom portraying an all-consuming rage, but what if instead of seeing red, they decided to paint red? 

Art therapy is a mental health profession in which therapists work with their patients through the creation of art. The American Art Therapy Association states that Art Therapy can improve “cognitive and sensorimotor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change.” (https://arttherapy.org/about-art-therapy/)

Whether using more common mediums such as painting or pottery, art therapy can also include dance, theater, writing, and music. Any form of expression that can help one guide themself through their emotions.

Kalia Huff found a recent incident a testament to using art as a form of therapy. When approached with a difficult assignment for school, she felt a rush of anger blocking her from completing it: “It was making me twitch out, so I threw it across the room and pulled out my sketchbook instead.” 

Blasting deafening music, she was able to unwind and find a focus. When sketching, she reached for colors that defined the moment, explaining her incident as a combination of “red, orange, yellow, and black.” Each color evokes emotions, and Huff finds a physical way to portray them. 

When stress takes over, Leanne Saad reaches for a henna cone. Henna is a reddish-brown natural dye that creates temporary tattoos when applied to skin. 

Saad finds the process therapeutic, especially when “I apply it to myself or others, it becomes very mindful and calming.” 

The act bonds her to friends and family, “It’s really calming to do it when we’re all together, talking about anything. It connects me to other people, and it’s a really good self-care act.”

By adjusting the use of emotion to inspiration, people can express themselves through creation rather than destruction. Huff describes the feeling as, “Sometimes I can’t say what I want to say, and the words don’t come to me. It’s like a way to put how I’m feeling in the moment together without having to talk to someone and have that confrontation.”